head to head · open source
OpenCut vs PySceneDetect
OpenCut has 90,876 GitHub stars, 8,993 forks, 378 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. PySceneDetect has 5,207 stars, 523 forks, 64 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. OpenCut leads on adoption by 1,645% (90,876 vs 5,207 stars). OpenCut is written in TypeScript under MIT; PySceneDetect is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. OpenCut has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, PySceneDetect 10%. OpenCut was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| OpenCut | PySceneDetect | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 91K | ★ 5.2K |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.0K | ⑂ 523 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenCut if
- You weight community size — 91K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick PySceneDetect if
- You want the PySceneDetect feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and PySceneDetect fits your workflow better
About OpenCut
OpenCut is a free, MIT licensed video editor that runs in the browser and is being rebuilt to serve web, desktop, and mobile from a single codebase, aimed at creators who want an open source alternative to CapCut.
read the full OpenCut overview →
About PySceneDetect
PySceneDetect is a BSD 3 Clause licensed Python and OpenCV program and library that detects scene cuts and transitions in video, built for developers, video engineers, and automated media pipelines that need to locate shot boundaries without scrubbing through footage by hand.
read the full PySceneDetect overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCut or PySceneDetect more popular?
OpenCut has 90,876 GitHub stars and PySceneDetect has 5,207. OpenCut has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenCut and PySceneDetect free?
Both are open source. OpenCut is licensed under MIT and PySceneDetect under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenCut and PySceneDetect?
OpenCut is written in TypeScript and PySceneDetect in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenCut or PySceneDetect?
Choose OpenCut if you want the larger community (90,876 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose PySceneDetect if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.